Leave your life behind
by Anjanka
Summary: This story is about someone we all know and love. You should be able to guess by the title;-) R&R please...more chapters will come up soon!


_Hi there! Only two days ago i couldn't think of anything to write fic about and now I'm already posting the first chapter ;-)_

_I really hope you'll like it, read and review!_

_Thanx to aznquill and meathead for their reviiews, you know how important this was for me, if nobody would have said anything I would have probably never published anything again...But you wanted it this way!_

_Disclaimer: Goddess, i nearly forgot it...Of course i invernted none of the cahracters or the country where it takes place or anything else...As this is fanfiction, i'm only a big fan of Tamora pierce and therefore no criminal who wants to earn money with her ideas. I really doubt anybody would pay only one cent for this story, either ;-)_

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**Leave your life behind**

**Chapter1: Be careful**

„Arram, come in. Would you like a drink? It's tea from the South."

Ozorne offered a comfortable chair to his best friend Arram who despite of having lived at Carthak's capital and near Ozorne for almost ten years still wasn't used to all this gold Ozorne wore. His friend had always loved gold and had worn lots of gold jewellery. But since he had become Carthak's Emperor, his preference seemed to turn him into a maniac. And not only in this direction.

Arram sat down and sighed.

„Yes, I'd like some tea. I don't think I drank very much during the day."

"You've probably been buried in your books all day, haven't you? One day your nose will pierce into the pages of an old book and you'll be forced to walk around with this book hanging in front of your face."

Ozorne laughed at that idea.

"Come on, Arram, this IS funny."

"Yeah..." Arram smiled. If HE would see somebody walk around like this, he probably couldn't help laughing, too. But his beginning laughter was destroyed by Ozorne's arrogant comment, "And you'd need ME to get rid of this stupid book."

Arram's smile froze on his lips and he struggled hard to keep his anger from his face as the Emperor went on, "It's always been the same: YOU get into trouble and I help you out. Without me, you'd be nothing. Be glad, that your Emperor is such a merciful one, you may still call me a friend."

'When had Ozorne changed so much?', Arram asked himself. 'This is not the boy or young man I used to be friends with for so long.'

"I am still your friend, you know that, Arram. I still appreciate your support, your opinion and your character, I always will."

This sounded more like Ozorne. However, after a short time Arram was tired of pretending that everything went well between them both. They were driven apart, he realised and with every day, he liked Ozorne a little less. Arram found it harder and harder to laugh about his friend's jokes or to listen to his opinion and keep his own for himself, as Ozorne had become very very sensitive to criticism.

"By the way, I need your opinion. The affair is not very important, just concerning one of the unworthies, but still I want to know what you think about it."

Arram hated the way Ozorne talked about slaves. Yes, they were slaves, people without any rights. Yet they were human beings and should be treated as such. But Ozorne didn't care about this fact, he went on and Arram found his words more and more disgusting:

"One of the unworthies who work in the kitchen made a mistake when she cooked yesterday evening's dinner. She used salt instead of sugar for one of the cakes and pretended she hadn't done it on purpose when I had my ministers question her."

"She probably didn't do it on purpose, exactly as she said. Why should she do so?"

"To poison the emperor, of course!"

"That's ridiculous, Ozorne! She couldn't even have been sure you'd eat it! plus, salt is not poisonouos, there are so many poisons she could have used instead..."

"Don't you dare talk to me like that! I am the emperor, I decide about what's wrong and what's right, if I say she tried to kill me, then she did!

I wanted to ask you about how to kill her: to hang her or to starve her or..."

"You can't be serious, Ozorne. Sure, this mistake should have never happened and she has to be punished for this, but definitely not with death!"

"Arram, I'll only warn you once: You're beginning to vex me, no one talks to me like this, you understand, no one!

I am the emperor of Carthak, you are only a little, powerless student! I am almost a god, I have powerful magic - all you can do is sit over your books and study useless stuff!"

"I am not powerless at all!" Arram could take many insults, he had known Ozorne long enough to get used to his impertinence and arrogance. But to call him powerless was definitely too much!

"I wear the black robe, which means I am one of the seven best mages in the whole world."

He jumped to his feet.

"Shall I prove it?! Do you want me to change you into a stone?! or into a tree?! Or..."

Arram missed the changing expressions on Ozorne's face. He didn't see the anger change to hatred, then to a superior smile. The smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and left the emperor's face blank.

In the coldets voice he had ever heard from his old friend, Arram was sent out of the room.

Shaking his head, he made his way to his girlfriend Varice. He was very disappointed about Ozorne's change and worried because he didn't regard him as the right man to rule a country. But he was the true heir and there was nothing he could do about it.

Arram was also very surprised and disappointed about himself: It wasn't much like him to think so bad about a friend. Had he really meant what he just had thought or as this only a result from his hurt pride?

When he knocked on Varice's door and a soft voice responded , "Come in, it's open" to his knock, he entered the room and by the sight that was presented to him, he quickly forgot about his sorrows. Varice lay on her bed, naked with a broad smile. Arram looked at her feminine shape, her big round breasts, her sensual friend. Hypnotized by this sight, he made one step towards her, another one, another one until she reached out one hand, gently stroked his chest, his cheek, put his hand on her tummy. While doing so, her eyes were focused on his. For a second, they stayed like this, the tall lanky youth watching the voluptuous woman, while she couldn't look away from his beautiful brown eyes. Suddenly Arram bent down and kissed her fiercely...

Hours later, Arram went silently back to his rooms, he had no intenson to meet Ozorne again this night. His worries came back: he had never seen the Emperor so angry.

Entering his room, he froze. Someone had been on here and left a tray with a cup and a jug. Next to it he found a note saying, "Sorry about my behaviour, I didn't mean what I said. I fear I am a little stressed at the moment. Forgive me. Ozorne."

Arram smiled as he read this, forgetting that ozorne never ever asked anyone to forgive him.

He drank the present - it was juice of bitter oranges – and went to bed, wondering why he suddenly felt so tired...

_Sooo...you know what this is about?? i think so...I don't have to tell you what will hapen or when this is set, do I?? ;-)_

_Again: If there are really big mistakes in it or there's something you can suggest to me to improve my style, please please tell me!!! My english has to get better!_


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